Gene Keyt

KEYT Gene Keyt has slipped the surly bonds of earth and gone to be with our Lord at on Sunday, May 31, 2009. Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at Acton United Methodist Church with Military honors directly afterward. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in memory of Gene Keyt to either Central Texas Methodist Foundation, 3215 West 4th Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76107 or The Dennis Polen Aviation Educational Foundation, 9608 Taxiway Drive, Granbury, Texas 76049. Gene flew B-29's in World War II and went on to be an aeronautical engineer for Honeywell with a specialty in autopilots. He patented a 3 dimensional fly-by-wire control stick used in the Apollo and Gemini spacecraft. He was very active in his church. Over the years he has been a deacon, sang in the choir and served as building committee chairman. For several years he has studied biblical archaeology and hat interest generated a trip to Israel to see these sites. This knowledge was returned to the church with his role as a Sunday school teacher. Gene continued his passion for flying right up to his last vacation to Savannah, Georgia during the last weekend of April. Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Harriet; children, Kathy Keyt Schade of Connecticut, Dick Keyt of Granbury, Texas, Bruce Keyt of California, Dotty Bergmann of New York; grandchildren, Ryan Keyt, Lucas and Martin Keyt, Kira, Erica and E.J. Bergmann; and sister, Nancy Wright of Minnesota.